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Oxford Studies in Historical Theology
Calvin's Company of Pastors: Pastoral Care and the Emerging Reformed Church, 1536-1609
In Calvin's Company of Pastors , Scott Manetsch examines the pastoral theology and practical ministry activities of Geneva's reformed ministers from the time of Calvin's arrival in Geneva until the beginning of the seventeenth century. During these seven decades, more than 130 men were enrolled in Geneva's Venerable Company of Pastors (as it was called), including notable reformed leaders such as Pierre Viret, Theodore Beza, Simon Goulart, Lambert Daneau, and Jean Diodati. Aside from these better-known epigones, Geneva's pastors from this period remain hidden from view, cloaked in Calvin's long shadow, even though they played a strategic role in preserving and reshaping Calvin's pastoral legacy.
Making extensive use of archival materials, published sermons, catechisms, prayer books, personal correspondence, and theological writings, Manetsch offers an engaging and vivid portrait of pastoral life in sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century Geneva, exploring the manner in which Geneva's ministers conceived of their pastoral office and performed their daily responsibilities of preaching, public worship, moral discipline, catechesis, administering the sacraments, and pastoral care. Manetsch demonstrates that Calvin and his colleagues were much more than ivory tower theologians or "quasi-agents of the state," concerned primarily with dispensing theological information to their congregations or enforcing magisterial authority. Rather, they saw themselves as spiritual shepherds of Christ's Church, and this self-understanding shaped to a significant degree their daily work as pastors and preachers.
Making extensive use of archival materials, published sermons, catechisms, prayer books, personal correspondence, and theological writings, Manetsch offers an engaging and vivid portrait of pastoral life in sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century Geneva, exploring the manner in which Geneva's ministers conceived of their pastoral office and performed their daily responsibilities of preaching, public worship, moral discipline, catechesis, administering the sacraments, and pastoral care. Manetsch demonstrates that Calvin and his colleagues were much more than ivory tower theologians or "quasi-agents of the state," concerned primarily with dispensing theological information to their congregations or enforcing magisterial authority. Rather, they saw themselves as spiritual shepherds of Christ's Church, and this self-understanding shaped to a significant degree their daily work as pastors and preachers.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
37 people are currently reading
419 people want to read
About the author
Scott M. Manetsch
9 books6 followersScott M. Manetsch (PhD, University of Arizona) is professor of church history at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the associate general editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture and the author of Calvin's Company of Pastors: Pastoral Care and the Emerging Reformed Church, 1536-1609.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 24, 2019
An outstanding work of historical and theological scholarship, and with numerous pastoral applications.
January 29, 2026
This is one of the best books on pastoral ministry I’ve read in a long, long time. I would require it for a class or internship for several reasons. One, it shows a well-rounded pastoral ministry focused on the glory of God, scheduled around the Lord’s Supper, aimed at getting the Word of God into every ear and eye, home and heart possible. Two, it demonstrates how this pastoral vision was executed by various men of different giftings in the midst of different circumstances. Three, it highlights the successes and failures of godly men. Fourth, the congeniality of the Company of Pastors is a needed antidote to the individualism that dominates ministry today. On the last point, I could say much, much more.
The church would be served better if we had more works of historical pastoral theology like this book.
The church would be served better if we had more works of historical pastoral theology like this book.
April 4, 2025
*Review from 2022*
A treasure trove. Remains one of the most important books I have ever read for pastoral ministry. The vision for pastoral ministry contained in these pages is compelling, convicting, and consoling. It’s simply a gift. I need to resolve to read it every 3-5 years.
*Review from 2017*
Superb. Historically intriguing and pastorally encouraging and challenging.
A treasure trove. Remains one of the most important books I have ever read for pastoral ministry. The vision for pastoral ministry contained in these pages is compelling, convicting, and consoling. It’s simply a gift. I need to resolve to read it every 3-5 years.
*Review from 2017*
Superb. Historically intriguing and pastorally encouraging and challenging.
September 15, 2017
One of the best books I have read in quite some time.
First, the scholarship is top notch. Manetsch knows so much about that time period in Geneva. For example, he explores the differences between rural and city pastors, the impact it had on Geneva that many of her pastors were French refugees, the different types of writings the pastors published, and the various troubles that occurred in worship. His mastery of the source material is evident throughout the book.
Second, the writing is really good. Manetsch does not bore his reader, but keeps the pace brisk. Too many books like this are full of great information, but really hard to read.
Finally, the best part about this book is it plainly sets out the pastoral vision of Calvin and his successors. This is pastoral theology disguised as history. All young ministers should read this book and many older ones could benefit from it as well. Calvin's Company focused on the Word, pastoral care, moral oversight, and helping the ministers in Geneva grow and mature. It was a different time and place. Yet the principles laid out come from the Word of God. Even, perhaps especially, in the 21st century pastors could benefit from a clearer sense of purpose, where they are not blinded to their great duties and privileges by programs, celebrities, fads, and internet fame.
This book is highly recommended. I will return to it over the years.
First, the scholarship is top notch. Manetsch knows so much about that time period in Geneva. For example, he explores the differences between rural and city pastors, the impact it had on Geneva that many of her pastors were French refugees, the different types of writings the pastors published, and the various troubles that occurred in worship. His mastery of the source material is evident throughout the book.
Second, the writing is really good. Manetsch does not bore his reader, but keeps the pace brisk. Too many books like this are full of great information, but really hard to read.
Finally, the best part about this book is it plainly sets out the pastoral vision of Calvin and his successors. This is pastoral theology disguised as history. All young ministers should read this book and many older ones could benefit from it as well. Calvin's Company focused on the Word, pastoral care, moral oversight, and helping the ministers in Geneva grow and mature. It was a different time and place. Yet the principles laid out come from the Word of God. Even, perhaps especially, in the 21st century pastors could benefit from a clearer sense of purpose, where they are not blinded to their great duties and privileges by programs, celebrities, fads, and internet fame.
This book is highly recommended. I will return to it over the years.
June 10, 2022
Excellent. Reinforced some of my preconceptions, and obliterated others. Good medicine.
December 29, 2019
Absolutely phenomenal, in the colloquial sense of the phrase. I couldn’t put it down, and I engaged deeply with the book in every section. From my vantage point as a theologically conservative and confessionally reformed Christian preparing for the gospel ministry, I was thoroughly edified and helped by reading this book. I will return often to it, and especially to the sections on preaching, discipline, prayer, and pastoral consolation. The heroes that emerge from this book are the rural ministers around Geneva (especially Jean Gervais). The harsh realities of economic scarcity in Geneva are brutally sad. The account of pastoral care in the midst of outbreaks of the plague is jaw-dropping and intense (see Pierre Blanchet and Mathieu de Geneston on pages 285-6). The phases of reformation from revolution to consolidation to conservation are fascinating. I’ve added a number of books and treatises to my to-read list, including works by Beza, Goulart, and Daneau. I have a newfound appreciation for French and Genevan Reformers and their literary output. In Goulart’s words (set to a different historical context), these were men who on the whole were made of gold, and bore rugged crosses of splintery wood.
February 22, 2023
Great book. A living portrait of pastoral ministry over a 70+ year period. Introduces a lot of lesser known and unknown men who pastored in Calvin’s Geneva. Chock full of lessons on pastoral ministry. From the aspiring to the seasoned pastor, plenty to be challenged and encouraged by. It enlarged my view of pastoral ministry.
October 27, 2017
A remarkable study of social history in Reformation Geneva from 1536-1609. As many others have noted, this book is especially insightful for pastors and other ministry leaders performing on the ground works of ministry. It is also helpful to see the practical outworking of much of Calvin's theology of the church and pastoral ministry (e.g. ministry during the plague, baptism & the Lord's Supper for children, the limits of catechesis, etc.).
In addition, there are plenty of stories that highlight the difficulty of ministry in the real world. Geneva's ministers were 1) not perfect and 2) often encountered difficulties with difficult congregants. Manetsch does a good job to erode any veneer of a "dream ministry" setting thought to exist in Geneva that could accompany Calvin's pastoral vision. In fact, things were often far from idyllic.
That being the case, there are also stories and evidence of the pastoral warmth that accompanied the Venerable Company. One notable example being the description of heaven by Simon Goulart near the end of the book.
All things being considered, historians and those performing pastoral work will find much gold here. Highly recommended.
In addition, there are plenty of stories that highlight the difficulty of ministry in the real world. Geneva's ministers were 1) not perfect and 2) often encountered difficulties with difficult congregants. Manetsch does a good job to erode any veneer of a "dream ministry" setting thought to exist in Geneva that could accompany Calvin's pastoral vision. In fact, things were often far from idyllic.
That being the case, there are also stories and evidence of the pastoral warmth that accompanied the Venerable Company. One notable example being the description of heaven by Simon Goulart near the end of the book.
All things being considered, historians and those performing pastoral work will find much gold here. Highly recommended.
August 9, 2016
A well-researched, -written, -planned book. I really enjoyed it.
Three reoccurring themes: 1) Genevan ministers can't be appreciated apart from understanding the religious nature of their sense of vocation; 2) Calvin and Co. were not ivory-tower theologians, but for them theology was always practical; 3) Beza & Co. protected Calvin's legacy but did make subtle changes due to practical challenges.
Chapter 1: Geneva and Her Reformation
Fascinating introduction to the reformation in Geneva. It was largely a reformation of time and space, as indicated by change in liturgy, sanctuary, church-calendar.
Chapter 2: The Company of Pastors
Manetsch sees four stages of development in the Company of Pastors between 1541-1590's. This chapter examines the geographical, social, and educational backgrounds of the Genevan ministers in each successive stage in the sixteenth century. Geographically, very few ministers were native-born Genevans, a struggle that persisted into the seventeenth century. Socially, most ministers came from wealthier, upper-middle class and nobility. Antoine de LaFaye said that the first recruits to the Company of Pastors were not even qualified to watch goats. The minister's education was formed through lectures, disputations, but also daily sermons, Sunday worship, and a culture of moral discipline.
Charles Perrot--big advocate for the poor in the Co. Simon Goulart was Beza's successor. Jean Diodati and Theodore Tronchin were two of the first native-born Genevan ministers. Jean Ferron's disciplinary issue: groped a servant girl. When questioned, Ferron said he did it "to test if she was a good girl" (62). Calvin's Co. was never really Calvin's per se. Beza worked toward 'shared leadership.'
Chapter 3: The Pastoral Vocation
Pages 69-70 has good, brief summary of Calvin's theology of vocation. Ministers were demolition experts and wise builders. Manetsch demonstrates that by the end of the 16th c., Genevan ministers weren't reformers but defenders and conservers. Receiving a call is like marriage, you don't flirt with other churches (82). Beza looked for godliness over giftedness (84). Country parishes were basically the training grounds for city ministry.
Simon Goulart: "If you love to study the humane letters, this is a good thing, as long as Christ is your goal. If you desire to gain knowledge so that, through it, you might understand more clearly Jesus Christ contained in the holy Scriptures, to love and worship him there, to enjoy him, and to make him known to others, you study with zeal" (84).
Chapter 4: Pastors and their Households
1. Domestic life: lot of inter-marrying between the families of Genevan pastors. This served to create a tight knit, family environment (mostly) in the Co. Beza hunted from time to time. Being a Genevan pastor brought a kind of social notoriety and a measure of uncomfortable scrutiny.
Simon Goulart (life philosophy): 1) Live with other people as if God were watching. Speak with God as if others were listening. 2) Endure the greatest patience what you are not able to change and walk with God (by whose authority all things occur) without complaining. Evil and wretched is the person who follows after the commander of Hell. 3) In times of activity as much as in periods of rest, all dimensions of life ought to be beautiful. 4) Commit your way to God. Hope in him, and He will do it.
2. Family relationships: Sweeping generalizations that Genevan marriages were cold and distant don't stand up in light of evidence. The quality of relationships were wide-ranging.
3. Material support: Pastoral ministry in Geneva was viewed as a high and sacred calling, but it didn't pay very well.
Chapter 5: Rhythms of Ministry
Genevan pastors saw themselves as servants of Christ and shepherds of God's people.
1. Liturgical time: Venerable Co. abolished all holidays.
2. Pastor's weekly schedule
Calvin: "I cannot think of a day this year in which I was so overwhelmed with all kinds of things to do as today. For because the messenger wanted to take also the first part of my work, I had to look over the first twenty pages of the manuscript. On top of that I had to lecture, preach, write four letters, settle several disputes and receive more than ten visitors." Pastor's life is BUSY.
Calvin: "In all your studies you must be careful that you are not looking merely for entertainment, but working toward the purpose of being useful to the church of Christ. Those who desire of scholarship nothing more than an honored occupation with which to drive away the boredom of idleness impress me as being like those who spend their whole life merely looking at beautiful pictures." Scholarship is to be for the church.
Continuous theme for the Co: change is bad.
Country ministry was much more difficult than city ministry.
Chapter 6: The Ministry of the Word
Calvin believed preached was fundamental to the Christian ministry (150). Genevans often voted with their feet on the different preachers--would see one minister going into church to preach and not attend worship. The best preaching was thought to be vehement (modeled by Farel), eloquent (Viret), and have doctrinal substance (Calvin). Calvin's influences on preaching were Renaissance rhetoric and Chrysostom.
Calvin: "The Scriptures should be read with the aim of finding Christ in them. Whoever turns aside from this object...will never reach the knowledge of truth." (Comm on John 5:39)
Raymond Chauvet was the most hated because he always yelled and was angry.
Chapter 7: The Ministry of Moral Oversight (probably one of my fav chapters)
Calvin's discipline and ministry was 'intrusive.'
Manetsch: "Many Genevan households were troubled and violent: reports of vicious arguments, abused wives, neglected children, and mistreated servants fill the pages of the register of the Consistory. Arguments often spilled out of the house into the streets and fields. Genevans attacked their spouses and neighbors with fists and feet, with scissors and swords, with batons and baguettes, with bowls of pottage and wooden plates. One angry butcher even used the head of a dead goat as a weapon against his unfortunate wife" (202).
Manetsch: "Genevans were disciplines for a variety of other kinds of strange and unseemly behavior such as urinating in public, swimming in the nude, throwing a leg of lamb into a dung heap, nursing a dog with breast milk, and wrapping the tail of a calf in a poor woman's handkerchief. Perhaps the peasant Jean Saddo wins the award for the most bizarre example of scandalous behavior. In 1576, Jean became so frustrated by his cow's unruliness that he extracted one of the animal's eyeballs, which he then placed in the hands of his minister. The young many was suspended from the Lord's Supper for "his cruelty and extreme barbarity" to animals" (205).
Chapter 8: Pastors and their Books
Daily lives of Geneva's ministers were filled with books.
Beza on the importance of dogmatic and practical religion: "How preposterous it is if we desire to so much to defend one flank of this sacred city, that is the Church, that we ignore an evident assault by the enemy on another flank. For we must guard against this most beguiling trick of Satan, lest in being so concerned about defending dogma on the one hand...we lost practical religion on the other, which is the end and goal of the Christian religion" (235).
Manetsch dismantles the Calvin v. Calvinist thesis. Over 20% of the books written by the Co. were practical and devotional in nature. Demonstrates that they were theologians of both the head and heart.
Chapter 9: The Ministry of Pastoral Care
Beza: "Remember to pray more and more for your friend Beza as he looks down the final stretch of his course. Although I am worn out, the Lord has never before given me a heavier load to carry." Ministry may be hardest at the end.
Calvin: "the office of a trust and faithful minister is not only to teach the people in public, which he is appointed to do as a pastor, but also, as much as he is able, to admonish, exhort, warn, and console each person individually."
Calvin: "The church of God will never preserve itself without a catechism for it is like the seed to keep the good grain from dying out, causing it to multiply from age to age" (266).
Manetsch: From time to time, the Consistory encountered men and women who displayed utter confusion not only about Geneva's reformed creed but about the Christian religion as a whole. Thyven Bastard of the parish of Bourdigny was stumped by the question "who suffered and died on the cross?" A widow named Guillermette Tissot was judged to be "very stupid and ignorant of the way of her salvation" for declaring to the Consistory that the Virgin Mary was the father of Jesus. Further questioning revealed that she was unclear as to whether the Virgin was a man or a woman. Similar confusion reigned int eh case of a wagon driver named Mermet Foudral, who announced to the ministers that there were three gods in heaven who were all one, that the divine Father named "Pilate" had died for sinners, and that only the devil was in hell (272).
The Co.'s pastoral work involved intensive, personal interaction with Geneva's townspeople and country folk. There were annual house visits. The confessional wasn't thrown out, just relocated to the living room. Many hid in homes or left town upon hearing that the elders were coming for a home visit.
Epilogue
1. the vocation of the Christian ministry is a difficult one.
2. accountability and collegiality in the pastoral work is crucial.
3. the Scriptures play the leading role in reformation and renewal.
4. pastoral care cannot be overestimated. Ministry involves more than public exposition of Scripture; it also entailed the application of the divine message to people in every stage of life, from cradle to grave.
Three reoccurring themes: 1) Genevan ministers can't be appreciated apart from understanding the religious nature of their sense of vocation; 2) Calvin and Co. were not ivory-tower theologians, but for them theology was always practical; 3) Beza & Co. protected Calvin's legacy but did make subtle changes due to practical challenges.
Chapter 1: Geneva and Her Reformation
Fascinating introduction to the reformation in Geneva. It was largely a reformation of time and space, as indicated by change in liturgy, sanctuary, church-calendar.
Chapter 2: The Company of Pastors
Manetsch sees four stages of development in the Company of Pastors between 1541-1590's. This chapter examines the geographical, social, and educational backgrounds of the Genevan ministers in each successive stage in the sixteenth century. Geographically, very few ministers were native-born Genevans, a struggle that persisted into the seventeenth century. Socially, most ministers came from wealthier, upper-middle class and nobility. Antoine de LaFaye said that the first recruits to the Company of Pastors were not even qualified to watch goats. The minister's education was formed through lectures, disputations, but also daily sermons, Sunday worship, and a culture of moral discipline.
Charles Perrot--big advocate for the poor in the Co. Simon Goulart was Beza's successor. Jean Diodati and Theodore Tronchin were two of the first native-born Genevan ministers. Jean Ferron's disciplinary issue: groped a servant girl. When questioned, Ferron said he did it "to test if she was a good girl" (62). Calvin's Co. was never really Calvin's per se. Beza worked toward 'shared leadership.'
Chapter 3: The Pastoral Vocation
Pages 69-70 has good, brief summary of Calvin's theology of vocation. Ministers were demolition experts and wise builders. Manetsch demonstrates that by the end of the 16th c., Genevan ministers weren't reformers but defenders and conservers. Receiving a call is like marriage, you don't flirt with other churches (82). Beza looked for godliness over giftedness (84). Country parishes were basically the training grounds for city ministry.
Simon Goulart: "If you love to study the humane letters, this is a good thing, as long as Christ is your goal. If you desire to gain knowledge so that, through it, you might understand more clearly Jesus Christ contained in the holy Scriptures, to love and worship him there, to enjoy him, and to make him known to others, you study with zeal" (84).
Chapter 4: Pastors and their Households
1. Domestic life: lot of inter-marrying between the families of Genevan pastors. This served to create a tight knit, family environment (mostly) in the Co. Beza hunted from time to time. Being a Genevan pastor brought a kind of social notoriety and a measure of uncomfortable scrutiny.
Simon Goulart (life philosophy): 1) Live with other people as if God were watching. Speak with God as if others were listening. 2) Endure the greatest patience what you are not able to change and walk with God (by whose authority all things occur) without complaining. Evil and wretched is the person who follows after the commander of Hell. 3) In times of activity as much as in periods of rest, all dimensions of life ought to be beautiful. 4) Commit your way to God. Hope in him, and He will do it.
2. Family relationships: Sweeping generalizations that Genevan marriages were cold and distant don't stand up in light of evidence. The quality of relationships were wide-ranging.
3. Material support: Pastoral ministry in Geneva was viewed as a high and sacred calling, but it didn't pay very well.
Chapter 5: Rhythms of Ministry
Genevan pastors saw themselves as servants of Christ and shepherds of God's people.
1. Liturgical time: Venerable Co. abolished all holidays.
2. Pastor's weekly schedule
Calvin: "I cannot think of a day this year in which I was so overwhelmed with all kinds of things to do as today. For because the messenger wanted to take also the first part of my work, I had to look over the first twenty pages of the manuscript. On top of that I had to lecture, preach, write four letters, settle several disputes and receive more than ten visitors." Pastor's life is BUSY.
Calvin: "In all your studies you must be careful that you are not looking merely for entertainment, but working toward the purpose of being useful to the church of Christ. Those who desire of scholarship nothing more than an honored occupation with which to drive away the boredom of idleness impress me as being like those who spend their whole life merely looking at beautiful pictures." Scholarship is to be for the church.
Continuous theme for the Co: change is bad.
Country ministry was much more difficult than city ministry.
Chapter 6: The Ministry of the Word
Calvin believed preached was fundamental to the Christian ministry (150). Genevans often voted with their feet on the different preachers--would see one minister going into church to preach and not attend worship. The best preaching was thought to be vehement (modeled by Farel), eloquent (Viret), and have doctrinal substance (Calvin). Calvin's influences on preaching were Renaissance rhetoric and Chrysostom.
Calvin: "The Scriptures should be read with the aim of finding Christ in them. Whoever turns aside from this object...will never reach the knowledge of truth." (Comm on John 5:39)
Raymond Chauvet was the most hated because he always yelled and was angry.
Chapter 7: The Ministry of Moral Oversight (probably one of my fav chapters)
Calvin's discipline and ministry was 'intrusive.'
Manetsch: "Many Genevan households were troubled and violent: reports of vicious arguments, abused wives, neglected children, and mistreated servants fill the pages of the register of the Consistory. Arguments often spilled out of the house into the streets and fields. Genevans attacked their spouses and neighbors with fists and feet, with scissors and swords, with batons and baguettes, with bowls of pottage and wooden plates. One angry butcher even used the head of a dead goat as a weapon against his unfortunate wife" (202).
Manetsch: "Genevans were disciplines for a variety of other kinds of strange and unseemly behavior such as urinating in public, swimming in the nude, throwing a leg of lamb into a dung heap, nursing a dog with breast milk, and wrapping the tail of a calf in a poor woman's handkerchief. Perhaps the peasant Jean Saddo wins the award for the most bizarre example of scandalous behavior. In 1576, Jean became so frustrated by his cow's unruliness that he extracted one of the animal's eyeballs, which he then placed in the hands of his minister. The young many was suspended from the Lord's Supper for "his cruelty and extreme barbarity" to animals" (205).
Chapter 8: Pastors and their Books
Daily lives of Geneva's ministers were filled with books.
Beza on the importance of dogmatic and practical religion: "How preposterous it is if we desire to so much to defend one flank of this sacred city, that is the Church, that we ignore an evident assault by the enemy on another flank. For we must guard against this most beguiling trick of Satan, lest in being so concerned about defending dogma on the one hand...we lost practical religion on the other, which is the end and goal of the Christian religion" (235).
Manetsch dismantles the Calvin v. Calvinist thesis. Over 20% of the books written by the Co. were practical and devotional in nature. Demonstrates that they were theologians of both the head and heart.
Chapter 9: The Ministry of Pastoral Care
Beza: "Remember to pray more and more for your friend Beza as he looks down the final stretch of his course. Although I am worn out, the Lord has never before given me a heavier load to carry." Ministry may be hardest at the end.
Calvin: "the office of a trust and faithful minister is not only to teach the people in public, which he is appointed to do as a pastor, but also, as much as he is able, to admonish, exhort, warn, and console each person individually."
Calvin: "The church of God will never preserve itself without a catechism for it is like the seed to keep the good grain from dying out, causing it to multiply from age to age" (266).
Manetsch: From time to time, the Consistory encountered men and women who displayed utter confusion not only about Geneva's reformed creed but about the Christian religion as a whole. Thyven Bastard of the parish of Bourdigny was stumped by the question "who suffered and died on the cross?" A widow named Guillermette Tissot was judged to be "very stupid and ignorant of the way of her salvation" for declaring to the Consistory that the Virgin Mary was the father of Jesus. Further questioning revealed that she was unclear as to whether the Virgin was a man or a woman. Similar confusion reigned int eh case of a wagon driver named Mermet Foudral, who announced to the ministers that there were three gods in heaven who were all one, that the divine Father named "Pilate" had died for sinners, and that only the devil was in hell (272).
The Co.'s pastoral work involved intensive, personal interaction with Geneva's townspeople and country folk. There were annual house visits. The confessional wasn't thrown out, just relocated to the living room. Many hid in homes or left town upon hearing that the elders were coming for a home visit.
Epilogue
1. the vocation of the Christian ministry is a difficult one.
2. accountability and collegiality in the pastoral work is crucial.
3. the Scriptures play the leading role in reformation and renewal.
4. pastoral care cannot be overestimated. Ministry involves more than public exposition of Scripture; it also entailed the application of the divine message to people in every stage of life, from cradle to grave.
April 6, 2024
A fantastic historical-theological study of Calvin and the Venerable Company in Geneva. It is historically rich while being immensely practical which is hard to do. I was especially helped by Manetsch's examination of the the ministry of the Word among Calvin's Company of Pastors.
January 10, 2025
Manetsch portrays the life of the Genevan pastors during Calvin’s day. Anecdotes of men like Viret and Farel were unexpected and a welcome surprise. Farel suffered and was persecuted—without this there would have been no Protestant civil authority in 1536, and without this there would be no Calvin in Geneva.
Well-written, captivating in its detail, and instructive for ministry, this book shows the pastoral care and concern that drove the 135 pastors on the Genevan payroll from 1536–1609. Manetsch gives a detailed sketch of the average week for a pastor in Geneva. In no particular order, the highlights include the training of pastors, pastoral visitation, preaching, the benefit for the sheep of multiple pastors for one congregation, church discipline, midweek studies that sharpened pastors and equipped laymen, battle with the city magistrates for a pure ecclesiology.
Manetsch questions the “Calvin against the Calvinists” theory of yesteryear, but recognizes differences between Calvin and Beza—such as a tendency towards systematization in the theology and preaching of Beza.
Well-written, captivating in its detail, and instructive for ministry, this book shows the pastoral care and concern that drove the 135 pastors on the Genevan payroll from 1536–1609. Manetsch gives a detailed sketch of the average week for a pastor in Geneva. In no particular order, the highlights include the training of pastors, pastoral visitation, preaching, the benefit for the sheep of multiple pastors for one congregation, church discipline, midweek studies that sharpened pastors and equipped laymen, battle with the city magistrates for a pure ecclesiology.
Manetsch questions the “Calvin against the Calvinists” theory of yesteryear, but recognizes differences between Calvin and Beza—such as a tendency towards systematization in the theology and preaching of Beza.
July 17, 2014
An instructive, impassioned, insightful work on the period of 1536 to 1609 in Calvin's Geneva. The primary areas of focus deal with (1) pastoral care as envisioned and implemented by Calvin and carried on by Beza and others; (2) pastoral camaraderie forged in Calvin's Reformed Church of Geneva, how it looked, and the way it continued to function for decades after Calvin's death.
This work, so it seems to me, rightly rehearses the various textures of the historical situation, and much of the reasoning (theologically, principally, and pragmatically)that went behind various decisions and actions. Manetsch is critical (in the right use of that word) and appreciative of the effort and intention of Calvin and the Consistory during it's birth, evolution, and solidification.
"Calvin's Company of Pastors" would be a nice addition to a pastor's library, and it would be a great additional resource for seminaries. I recommend the book.
This work, so it seems to me, rightly rehearses the various textures of the historical situation, and much of the reasoning (theologically, principally, and pragmatically)that went behind various decisions and actions. Manetsch is critical (in the right use of that word) and appreciative of the effort and intention of Calvin and the Consistory during it's birth, evolution, and solidification.
"Calvin's Company of Pastors" would be a nice addition to a pastor's library, and it would be a great additional resource for seminaries. I recommend the book.
February 10, 2017
Just fantastic. Superbly researched without overkill. Especially interesting is how these pastors worked together and saw their individual roles as part of a greater good. While not riveting, Manetsch takes potentially boring material and turns it into a vivid portrait of ministerial life in Geneva.
(Possibly only useful to other pastors or historians interested in the development of the pastoral office in Protestant churches.)
(Possibly only useful to other pastors or historians interested in the development of the pastoral office in Protestant churches.)
December 13, 2017
6 stars.
Required reading for reformed pastors.
Few books I read are worth every single page.
Required reading for reformed pastors.
Few books I read are worth every single page.
November 7, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyed this read. It was eye-opening to hear of the challenges that pastors in Geneva faced, some of which was very different, and some of which was very similar to difficulties that continue to the present day. This book will destroy many false assumptions about the Reformation being a time of purity and holiness in the church. There are horribly sad stories of parents physically abusing their children to the point of death, husbands abusing and beating their wives, parents selling their children into prostitution, and pastors being excommunicated for sexual misconduct with servants. It is also surprising at times to read of the profound ignorance that Genevans had regarding the Christian faith - one story related is that a lady thought the Virgin Mary was Jesus' Father! Striking too is how noisy worship services could be - from people showing up late, to drunks throwing up in the service, to people talking amongst themselves during the preaching (there was even the problem of blacksmiths being too noisy during weekday services). On that note the magistrates in Geneva had a problem that many face today with services. The Genevan magistrates wanted services to be an hour long, but pastors (like today) often preached too long for their liking!
Besides pastoral difficulties, something that does come out from this book is that the Genevan pastors had a true interest in shepherding their congregations. From our modern sensibilities, they may have been too harsh on some things, and too lenient on others. Yet, it is notable even there that women were disciplined far less frequently than men, to the point that one man said "the Consistory is the paradise of women." The desire of the Consistory in discipline was almost always one of restoration, and not punishment. Given the pastoral difficulties that were faced, Calvin and the consistory's gentleness comes out. Calvin agreed with Cyprian when he said "Let a man mercifully correct what he can; let him patiently bear what he cannot correct, and groan and sorrow over it with love" and Simon Goulart (one of the Genevan pastors) manual for Christian care said the first principal should be "the pastor should know and have true compassion for the person suffering."
Something else that stood out in this book was just how much Roman Catholicism catered to loose immorality and superstition. The saint's days were often times of drunkenness and partying (including fornication). One persistent trouble the consistory had for decades was sexual immorality. Baptism was seen as absolutely necessary for a dying infant to obtain. The communion bread was sometimes snuck out of church to give to a sick person because it was believed to have miraculous powers. This context can help us understand the extremes to which the Reformers went to expunge every vestige of Roman Catholicism.
Finally, here is Calvin on how pastors are to use their office:
"Similarly, Christ does not call his ministers to the teaching office that they may subdue the Church and dominate it but that he may make use of their faithful labors to unite it to himself. It is a great and splendid thing for men to be put in authority over the Church to represent the person of the Son of God. They are like the friends attached to the bridegroom to celebrate the wedding with him, though they must observe the difference between themselves and what belongs to the bridegroom. It all comes to this, that whatever excellence teachers may have should not stand in the way of Christ alone having the dominion in his Church or ruling it alone by his Word …. Those who win the Church over to themselves rather than to Christ faithlessly violate the marriage which they ought to honor. And the greater the honor that Christ confers on us when he puts his bride to our charge, the more wicked is our faithlessness if we do not study to defend his rights."
Besides pastoral difficulties, something that does come out from this book is that the Genevan pastors had a true interest in shepherding their congregations. From our modern sensibilities, they may have been too harsh on some things, and too lenient on others. Yet, it is notable even there that women were disciplined far less frequently than men, to the point that one man said "the Consistory is the paradise of women." The desire of the Consistory in discipline was almost always one of restoration, and not punishment. Given the pastoral difficulties that were faced, Calvin and the consistory's gentleness comes out. Calvin agreed with Cyprian when he said "Let a man mercifully correct what he can; let him patiently bear what he cannot correct, and groan and sorrow over it with love" and Simon Goulart (one of the Genevan pastors) manual for Christian care said the first principal should be "the pastor should know and have true compassion for the person suffering."
Something else that stood out in this book was just how much Roman Catholicism catered to loose immorality and superstition. The saint's days were often times of drunkenness and partying (including fornication). One persistent trouble the consistory had for decades was sexual immorality. Baptism was seen as absolutely necessary for a dying infant to obtain. The communion bread was sometimes snuck out of church to give to a sick person because it was believed to have miraculous powers. This context can help us understand the extremes to which the Reformers went to expunge every vestige of Roman Catholicism.
Finally, here is Calvin on how pastors are to use their office:
"Similarly, Christ does not call his ministers to the teaching office that they may subdue the Church and dominate it but that he may make use of their faithful labors to unite it to himself. It is a great and splendid thing for men to be put in authority over the Church to represent the person of the Son of God. They are like the friends attached to the bridegroom to celebrate the wedding with him, though they must observe the difference between themselves and what belongs to the bridegroom. It all comes to this, that whatever excellence teachers may have should not stand in the way of Christ alone having the dominion in his Church or ruling it alone by his Word …. Those who win the Church over to themselves rather than to Christ faithlessly violate the marriage which they ought to honor. And the greater the honor that Christ confers on us when he puts his bride to our charge, the more wicked is our faithlessness if we do not study to defend his rights."
June 10, 2020
No question, this work is of the stature of a Bobby Hull, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Joe Montana.... or.... an Itzhak Perlman... or an Andy Williams... or a Louis Armstrong.... you get the picture. Manetsch covers the gamut--encased in Calvin's Geneva--of pastoral calling, office, service, and the work of the collegial presbyter. All good. All double good. All triple good. And equally there's no question that some in our 21st Cent are carrying out the example of Calvin and his company: the principles of leadership in San Diego (the Harbor PCA guys), in NYC with the Manhattan men of the PCA, in Moscow, ID with the CREC men, in central Maryland in the pastoral work at Columbia OPC (now a PCA), and in Atlanta with the Perimeter men. I stress the principles of leadership, as I cite these examples. Manetsch would present to us the Ted Williams or Tony Gywnn of hitting a baseball, if.... if.... he had dug up the nuances and summary-lessons of a theology and practice of gifts and limitation of expression, a theology and practice of delegation, a theology and practice of jurisdiction, a theology and practice of the office of ruling elder, a theology and practice of the power of the congregation (not the power of Calvin and the ministers), a theology and practice of controversy within the church, and then one more comes to mind (if there's a trace of it in this Genevan history)-- the theology of the eschatological import of Christ and His calling, office, work.... His bequeathed enabling Spirit, and this eschatalogized work of gathering and perfecting the saints. Manetsch deals with jurisdiction all over the place---give him 6 stars out of 5, but there's an absence of the principles for learning and practice. He hits the ball over staightaway center with a thorough-going rendering of the tension found in questions and issues of jurisdiction, but I was waiting, additionally, for the principles and lessons. He gave me the 18 oz steak, but I wanted the onions and Tabasco. We are a messed up people on jurisdiction today, within the reformed pastoral landscape itself, let alone the questions and issues of jurisdiction regarding church/state. High marks to Manetsch. High marks. Who's walking up to the plate next? Let's keep the line moving, men. Manetsch has put down some good stuff.
September 23, 2022
My goodness. A marvelous book. Manetsch's magnificent work avoids hagiography--there is some truly bad pastoral malpractice on behalf of the Consistory--yet it also dispels a number of myths about Calvin's Geneva, as well as historiographical work on Calvin (the much maligned Calvin vs the Calvinists thesis). Each chapter is better than the last, crescendoing in a wonderful chapter on pastoral care in Geneva. All pastors and aspiring pastors should read this work. This will be a book I reread with regularity.
Also, Simon Goulart, Geneva's "heavenly minded spiritual advisor" is a pastor par excellence. We need more translations of his work!
Also, Simon Goulart, Geneva's "heavenly minded spiritual advisor" is a pastor par excellence. We need more translations of his work!
May 17, 2022
Wonderful history. Great insights into pastoral ministry. Humourous at times. Humbling throughout.
April 28, 2024
Excellent read! Highly academic but very readable.
February 21, 2024
An important book. How did Calvin and the pastors of Geneva apply their Reformed convictions as they sought to reform the church in Geneva?
History that is stimulating, humbling, convicting, encouraging.
History that is stimulating, humbling, convicting, encouraging.
February 25, 2016
I am glad I took the time to read this book, as it gave me a unique look into how pastoral ministry operated in a different time and different culture. And not any time and culture, but a very important one: Reformation Geneva. This book focuses not only on Calvin's pastoral ministry, but on the efforts of the whole company of pastors that applied Calvin's theology and biblical teachings to the practical and complex life of a city.
This book's practicality for us today is very well expressed near the end of the book:
"The study of religious history invites, even compels, us to investigate the past with an eye towards the present, to explore the foreignness of history with the expectation that 'cultural immersion' of this sort will not only expand our knowledge of peoples and events but also enrich our experience by providing needed perspective, timely wisdom, apt warnings, and precious glimpses into the failings, beauty, and the sheer complexity of the human condition." (p. 304)
"Where is our zeal, our care, and our diligence as pastors? O Lord, support us therefore by your infinite goodness. Preserve in us a good and right conscience. Fill us with zeal for your glory. Increase in us the knowledge, the wisdom, the love, and the endurance required for such a calling. In sum, be pleased to bless our modest efforts." -Theodore Beza
This book's practicality for us today is very well expressed near the end of the book:
"The study of religious history invites, even compels, us to investigate the past with an eye towards the present, to explore the foreignness of history with the expectation that 'cultural immersion' of this sort will not only expand our knowledge of peoples and events but also enrich our experience by providing needed perspective, timely wisdom, apt warnings, and precious glimpses into the failings, beauty, and the sheer complexity of the human condition." (p. 304)
"Where is our zeal, our care, and our diligence as pastors? O Lord, support us therefore by your infinite goodness. Preserve in us a good and right conscience. Fill us with zeal for your glory. Increase in us the knowledge, the wisdom, the love, and the endurance required for such a calling. In sum, be pleased to bless our modest efforts." -Theodore Beza
October 27, 2014
I think every pastor, at whatever stage, will find great encouragement from this academic work. Every pastor should be well grounded in his knowledge of history, and what better era than Calvin's Geneva. This is one of my favorite books I've read this year.
The hardback is currently priced at $70, so perhaps a local library can offer it (or InterLibrary Loan). Last time I looked online, I know they're planning on releasing a paperback version in 2015, which I'm sure will be more affordable.
The hardback is currently priced at $70, so perhaps a local library can offer it (or InterLibrary Loan). Last time I looked online, I know they're planning on releasing a paperback version in 2015, which I'm sure will be more affordable.
September 5, 2015
Manetsch has provided us with an in-depth study of the Reformed Church in Geneva beginning in the time of Calvin. In my experience, too many people have opinions about Calvin and the Reformation without knowing very much about them. This is one book that would help one develop an informed perspective. This is also a valuable addition to the pastor's library as Manetsch provides in some detail how the pastoral ministry was understood and carried out.
May 9, 2016
Beautiful, sensitive, and thorough historical work. Each chapter could easily have been a book unto itself.
May 10, 2017
Pastors and historians will love this book, the average lay person would likely get bored. I found it a really helpful perspective of what ministry was like in 16th century.
June 12, 2023
This book is a masterpiece. It is a must-read for pastors interested in church history and I think would be helpful for any pastor. It looks closely at what pastoral ministry was like in Geneva during Calvin's ministry and the decades after his death.
It is a wonderful example of what scholarship should be. It is impeccably researched. Footnotes and primary sources are mentioned all over the place. It gets deep into the weeds and leaves no stone unturned. He has no problem talking about the dark parts of life in Geneva (the racial bias towards French ministers, the mistreatment of rural pastors, and overly extreme cases of church discipline).
John Calvin has been a hero of mine. This is the first book that I felt painted an honest picture of what his ministry was like and led to. This book is no hagiography. It will show the good, the bad, and the very ugly.
It is also focused on trying to help the church and lead to application. The book doesn't read like a dry account of life in the 16th century. It is alive and you can feel the struggle pastors felt during those days.
This is a book that I will return to again and again. It had been on my list for a long time but I avoided it because it was expensive. I think it is worth the price.
It is a wonderful example of what scholarship should be. It is impeccably researched. Footnotes and primary sources are mentioned all over the place. It gets deep into the weeds and leaves no stone unturned. He has no problem talking about the dark parts of life in Geneva (the racial bias towards French ministers, the mistreatment of rural pastors, and overly extreme cases of church discipline).
John Calvin has been a hero of mine. This is the first book that I felt painted an honest picture of what his ministry was like and led to. This book is no hagiography. It will show the good, the bad, and the very ugly.
It is also focused on trying to help the church and lead to application. The book doesn't read like a dry account of life in the 16th century. It is alive and you can feel the struggle pastors felt during those days.
This is a book that I will return to again and again. It had been on my list for a long time but I avoided it because it was expensive. I think it is worth the price.
June 15, 2023
Calvin’s Company of Pastors by Scott M. Manetsch is a valuable asset for the church. The book focuses on a time span of 73 years between 1536 to 1609 but gives a lot of additional background information on events surrounding those 73 years. Geneva was just barely wrested from the Roman Catholics when Calvin, who was just passing through, arrived in 1536. Convinced to stay and help establish Geneva as an enclave for reformed Protestantism by Guillaume Farel, John Calvin embarked on the difficult journey of bringing order out of chaos. This book draws from the available records that survived to describe what life was like in reformed Geneva. The company of pastors was a result of Calvin’s relentless efforts to provide spiritual leadership for Geneva. Calvin was constantly recruiting to fill pastoral posts. This book examines the pastor's households, their daily routines, their preaching, their moral oversight of the people and themselves, their libraries, their pastoral care of the people, and their character. It illustrates the unique relationship between church and state in Geneva. It gives insightful examples of faith and Christian living that is sure to open eyes and give a fresh appreciation for the faith of our fathers.
August 15, 2020
It would be eye-opening if the records and scholarly effort to do a book such as this for every important location of church history existed. One of the advantage Geneva has are its copious records. And Scott Manetsch.
Although Manetsch does not argue this explicitly, implicit in what he depicts is a cultural revolution in Geneva. That has to be processed bearing in mind the assumption that the adjective 'reformation' was for Calvin a reformation of Christendom, not merely a reformation of doctrine. Still, the scope of what was attempted was nothing less, and it is worth bearing in mind when evaluating what is described.
Manetsch is sympathetic to his subject, never hostile, even to the point that one suspects that a bit of the crucial critical distance from time to time is lost. But he is not condescending, he is admiring, and there is much to admire. In his epilogue he draws a series of conclusions worthy of reflection. It is a highly instructive book that can be read energetically or with more contemplative deliberation.
Although Manetsch does not argue this explicitly, implicit in what he depicts is a cultural revolution in Geneva. That has to be processed bearing in mind the assumption that the adjective 'reformation' was for Calvin a reformation of Christendom, not merely a reformation of doctrine. Still, the scope of what was attempted was nothing less, and it is worth bearing in mind when evaluating what is described.
Manetsch is sympathetic to his subject, never hostile, even to the point that one suspects that a bit of the crucial critical distance from time to time is lost. But he is not condescending, he is admiring, and there is much to admire. In his epilogue he draws a series of conclusions worthy of reflection. It is a highly instructive book that can be read energetically or with more contemplative deliberation.
July 15, 2021
Historical research into pastoral care in Geneva during the Reformation period (with its successes and flaws). Helps to give an insight into pastoral work and expectation during this period. I especially valued the description of their desire to develop a company of pastors, the rhythms of their ministry, and how they balanced preaching, study, and pastoral care.
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